Something that didn’t occur to me when I began freelancing was how much time I would spend at home. Alone. Or to be specific, I didn’t realize how much this would bother me. Part of why I disliked working in an office was the constant interruptions and seemingly endless chatter! So I looked forward with excitement to the peace and quiet I would have at home, and the level of productivity I’d be capable of. Well, it didn’t quite turn out like that. Yes, it’s peaceful and quiet. Only the DJ on the radio, the meowing from my cat or the ringing of the phone occasionally interrupts my idyllic quiet. But I still have problems focusing. I tried turning off the radio, and that actually made things worse. I started tapping my fingers on the desk, and wandering around the house, in search of some feeling of life! (Yep, it’s bad.) I realized the noise of other people at the office had actually motivated me to work. It gave me the sensation that all around me people were being productive, buzzing away like bees in a hive.
When I’m home alone, there’s no real indication that any work should be done (the occasional urgent email or phone call aside). There’s no hive of activity around me. Well sometimes my cat flies into the room, up onto the bookshelf, leaps across the desk and flies out again. But that’s not really the type of activity that I find helpful. 😉 I need the feeling that other people are out there, working like me.
So my solution was to join a co-working space. I thought (and still think) this would be the perfect solution – I could come and go as I pleased, getting the best of both worlds with a mix of buzz there and quiet here at home. Not only that, I would have contact with other “work-from-homers” and feel part of a professional community. There’s a neat looking co-working space here in Calgary (CoworkYYC), but it’s too difficult for me to get to without a car (in an effort to save the environment, we gave up our car this summer). I’ve also heard wonderful things about Jelly, a communal work environment with dozens of locations around the world. Sadly though, no Jellys in my neck of the woods. So I came up with some alternatives.
In the next month, I am going to try two options. I’m going to try working from a coffee shop; I think this will provide plenty of “buzz”, but if everyone’s socializing instead of working, it may be too distracting. Then I’m going to try working at my local library. I think people will be working there, and it shouldn’t be too distracting. I won’t be able to get help or share freelancing stories, but at least I’ll get that air of productivity that’s sometimes lacking around my place.
I’ll post on here after my experiment’s over, and let you know how it went. If you’ve felt the same way about being home alone and found a solution, please share it in the comments. I’d love to hear how other people deal with this!
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Like you, Katherine, I recently went looking for a Jelly location in my area, but alas… I’ve tried working in coffee shops, but I end up eavesdropping on the conversations next to me. 😉 I think the library is a good idea. Today I’m in my hometown, working in my sister’s office. She’s at her desk typing away, I’m at mine, and it really is motivating. Plus I get to have lunch and spend the afternoon with her once we’re done so there’s some incentive to focus and get everything done quickly. 🙂
I look forward to hearing what you find works best for you… I’ll likely do some experimenting when home in Ottawa, too, and we can compare notes.
Ooh, working with you sister sounds great! For sure, let me know if you come up with anything when you are back in Ottawa! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
I can relate to this Katherine. When I was working from home I used to feel so uninspired and lonely that I wouldn’t be productive at all. I was almost always distracted by the ‘need’ to reorganise my wardrobe or something equally as unimportant. My solution was to find inspiring coffee shops. I’ve found that I do my best pondering when I’m alone but there is the hum of other people around me. If there’s a chance of a lovely coffee and a slice of cake then all the better.
Hi Cheryl, thanks for leaving a comment! Hmm, you’ve made a good case for coffee shops! But I’m wondering if I’ll get too distracted by all the comings and goings – and quite likely, like Lisa, by my desire to eavesdrop on other people’s conversations. 😉 Anyway we’ll see how it goes. But the slice of cake while you work concept is very enticing! 🙂
Hello Katherine,
I admit I do enjoy the piece and quiet of my home office very much (especially after hectic mornings with the kids, school runs etc.), but I agree it does get to you a bit sometimes.
Good luck, and let us know how your experiment goes!
Regards from Bristol in the UK,
Elisabeth
Hi Elisabeth, thanks for leaving a comment! I’ll write a follow up post once I’ve tried out both options, and talk about how I found it. There are definitely pros and cons to all the choices.
Hello Katherine,
I used to think like you in what concerns offices and I still feel previleged with not having colleagues making intrigues or bullying you like I had, and especially not having timetables to fulfill. But the truth is that sometimes it is difficult to focus on things. Once I start working it is fine, and most times I like to start a job right away even if I am given days to complete it because I like to research thoroughly. But occasionally, I postpone it as much as I can and that is when I know I need a holiday! I still think I have the perfect job, the job I always dreamt of. However, I am always postponing other things in life, don’t go out for weeks and can never make plans with my friends or family. My boyfriend is always complaining about that.
I have thought of going to a library or coffee shop but then I thought, what if I want to use the toilet? I can’t just leave my stuff there, or take it with me everytime, lol. Nevertheless, I guess the result will be the same: talking to nobody. Also, I have found that, while at home, I can always channel the energy to do housework when not working. Still, there is peace of mind and self-motivation as you are working for yourself and also because we learn a lot from translating.
Regards from Portugal right now 🙂
Mónica
LOL, Monica, that’s a good point about the toilet! 🙂
And you’re right, once I get started working on something, the quiet is fine. I guess it’s more during the research time or when I’m doing marketing or admin that it’s easy to get distracted.
I need to get a little better with the self-motivation, good for you that you focus on your work so energetically! 🙂